Page 48 of Abundance of Obsession

“What’s your point, Ash?” I ask, not understanding where she’s going with this.

“I don’t know. I’m just saying, maybe their intention is to provoke Ryker to take action?”

Ryker stands up, straightens himself, and looks straight at me. I can see the decision forming in his mind. Before he leaves the living room with a grim expression, he says, “Find me that damn mole. And fast.”

Chapter 13

Zoe

I’ve been battling my own thoughts for two damn days.

These fucking two days are dragging on forever.

Nights are the worst. And that silence…

One moment, I’m aware of what I should do. Stay out of it. It’s none of my business.

Five minutes later, I don’t give a damn. I won’t be passive anymore.

Except my decisions haven’t been the best lately either. Let’s just look back at what happened when I started implementing my little revenge plan. I’m the one who killed Jeremiah. It doesn’t matter how. It doesn’t matter if it was with my own two hands or not. He’s dead because of me.

He wasn’t a good man; I hated him and wished him dead, and he got what he deserved—but that knowledge weighs on me.

There’s something even worse, though. Despite how heavy this burden feels, if I could turn back time and change something, I don’t know if my decision would be any different.

Maybe it’s true that each of us carries darkness within us.

I feel like I’m going crazy in this apartment. Still can’t decide which way to go. All the lines are blurring, and nothing is black or white anymore. I need to talk to someone about this.

My first impulse is to pick up the phone and call Ash, but I hold back because that’s how it has always been. Whenever I got into trouble or faced a problem, I turned to my sister. That’s not how a grown-up behaves. Being an adult means facing the challenges that life brings to your doorstep.

Before I change my mind—I act.

Phone. Keys. Door.

This time, I’m not running away.

It’s past eleven p.m. I pull up to Feather. The bouncer standing by the entrance gives me a suspicious once-over but doesn’t comment on my outfit. I can only imagine that jeans and a sweatshirt aren’t the norm here. I understand what kind of place this is, and I don’t care at all.

“Desire” by Meg Myers echoes off the club’s walls. The music is sensual and draws my gaze to what’s happening on one stage. A girl with short, blond hair is dancing there. She’s down to just a thong. She sways to the rhythm, her eyes locked on one of the men. He shifts in his chair.

I’m not surprised.

Looking at the stage, I’m not surprised at all. If only I could move like that…

Shaking my head, I tell myself this isn’t the time to dwell on my nonexistent sex life.

The long-haired brunette at the bar gives me a big smile and a wink. “What can I get you, sweetie?”

“I’m here for Ryker Elliot,” I say.

“You know he’s unavailable?” The brunette sets down the wine glass she was cleaning, tosses a cloth on the counter, and turns her full attention to me. She sizes me up with her gaze.

“I see. Still, I need to talk to him. It’s important. Whatever he’s so busy with will have to wait a moment.”

The brunette’s smile widens even more. “That’s not what I meant. I was asking if you realized he’s a taken man. He has a wife, so you’d better get out of here because whatever you’re imagining isn’t going to happen.”

My eyes grow wide. This is new. I never would have thought his staff would stand as a protective wall behind Ash and Ryker. Interesting. If any woman ever thinks of getting close to my brother-in-law, she’ll have to get past a wall of his own employees first.